Vessel for external pressure



June 26, 1951 F. D. MoYER ETAL VESSEL FOR EXTERNAL PRESSURE Filed Aug. 9, 1946 Patented' June 26, 1951 VESSEL FOR EXTERNAL PRESSURE Frederick D. Moyer and Edward S. Fraser, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, a corporation of Illinois Application August 9, 1946, Serial No. 689,371

Claims.

This invention relates to a container and more particularly to a iiuid container capable of increased resistance to external pressure.

Large sized vessels or containers subject to external pressure often fail by buckling of the shell 5 well below the yield strength of the material.

One method employed to overcome this buckling tendency is the use of an internal or external framework of plates, sheets, trusses, or combinations thereof to reinforce the shell. This reinforcing is expensive and wasteful of material.

We have invented and are herein disclosing and claiming a container having increased resistance to external pressure by proper shaping of the shell with little or no additional framework or other reinforcing members.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a container embodying the invention; Figure 2 is a sectional view showing a portion of the interior framework and a method of 20.

attaching the exterior shell thereto; and Figures 3 and 4 show other methods of attaching the shell to various types of framework.

Referring more particularly to Figure 1, we

show a container I0 having the shape of a polyhedron.-the surface of which is made up of a plurality of inwardly concave plates Il attached to each face of the interior framework I2 bywelds I3, I3a, the framework in this example being of tubular design. Figure 3, the plate Il,

are attached to the framework member I4 by welds I3 and l3a, and in this example the framework is made up of members having a groove formed therein to receive the plates. A simpler construction is shown in Figure 4 where the 35 framework member I6 is substantially rectangular in cross section. The welds I3 and |3a are so placed as to give the vessel a smooth exterior outline.

By forming the plates with faces concave outwardly, any external pressure imposed upon the vessel exerts a tensional stress on the plates. The

structure which resists in compression the loads transmitted. from the shell plates. A large advantage accrues, however, in that the plates can be made relatively thin and the framework itself can be spaced at greater intervals than would normally be the case of a vessel reinforced to take external pressure.

The shape of the polyhedron framework can be regular or quite irregular, depending upon the purpose intended.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for the purpose of clearness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom.

We claim:

1. A fluid container to resist external pressure comprising a plurality of girders secured together to form a polyhedral framework, said framework having a plurality of open faces with each face having at least three substantially equal sides and with each side being bounded by a girder, and a pre-curved outwardly concave plate attached to the girders forming each face of the framework, said plate being under tension between the girders when the container is under external pressure.

2. The fluid container of claim 1 in which the plates are welded to the outside of the girders.

3. The fluid container of claim 2 in which each face of the framework has ve substantially equal sides.

4. A uid container to resist external pressure comprising a plurality of girders secured together to form a polyhedral framework having a plurality of open faces with each face having at least three sides and with each side being bounded by a girder, and a pre-curved outwardly concave plate attached to the girders forming each face of the polyhedron, said plate being under tension between the girders when the container is under external pressure and the corners of each plate lying substantially in a single plane.

5. The uid container of claim 4 in which each face has at least three substantially equal sides.

FREDERICK D. MOYER. 'EDWARD S. FRASER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,946,494 Horton Feb. 13, 1934 2,012,964 Horton Sept., 3, 1935 2,313,997 Jackson Mar. 16, 1943 2,462,064 Boardman Feb. 22. 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Germany Apr` 24, 102'? 

